Courtesy of Ruby Receptionists
Texting, tweeting, posting comments, writing reviews: there are plenty of ways for smartphone users to communicate with friends, strangers, and businesses of all sorts without having a conversation. But research shows the good old-fashioned phone call hasn’t gone out of style — in fact, calls to businesses are on the rise and expected to keep rising, largely due to the convenience of click-to-call technology. A predicted 162 billion calls will be made to businesses from smartphones in 2019, and that’s great news solo attorneys and small firms ready to capitalize on the inbound call renaissance. Two key ingredients can help you drive more clients to your business line: a clickable, easy-to-find number, and a quality phone experience. Here are some practical tips for getting there:
Check your Google listing. Make sure your Google business information is current and includes a visible phone number. This ensures potential clients will be able to call you directly from the Google call icon. For more information on claiming your business and managing your listing, check out Google’s support page.
Get ’em clicking. Adding a “click to call” button to your website is a great way to encourage potential clients to reach you with a single click — and you don’t have to be a web designer to figure it out. This quick guide can help you get started.
Make your web presence mobile friendly. Ensure your phone number is prominent and clickable on your website, and limit the need for scrolling by putting your number near the top of your homepage. Aim to include your number in the same spot on the various pages of your site, and add it to your site’s header, footer, contact page, and any calls to action. If you use mobile ads, include a clickable number there, too. A simple line of code is all it takes: <a href=“tel:1-503-555-5555”>1-503-555-5555</a>
Set yourself up for success. Getting more calls is great — if you create a great experience for callers. Automated systems and voicemail don’t cut it: 74% of mobile users are likely to choose another business after a poor phone experience. What might that poor experience look like? If you call many businesses, you can probably guess: long hold times, botched transfers, complicated automated systems, having to repeat the same information over and over, and being sent straight to voicemail are common complaints, along with reaching a less-than-enthusiastic person. If a potential client doesn’t reach a live, helpful person, they’ll likely call the next attorney on their list.
This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of For the Record.